


Revenge (A Ninjago Next Gen Fanfic)

by zap_trap



Category: Lego Ninjago
Genre: Lego, Ninjago, lego ninjago - Freeform
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-06-23
Updated: 2020-08-04
Packaged: 2021-03-03 20:26:58
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 12
Words: 10,940
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24881545
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/zap_trap/pseuds/zap_trap
Summary: The ninja have given up so much of their lives to drive evil away from their home, so when they get a long-deserved break, they are overjoyed. Years have passed since Ninjago has been attacked, and the ninja have created families and lives of their own. But what happens when their past becomes the present, when their fears are fulfilled, when their worst nightmares become reality? Will they be able to save what they love once again? Or will their names remain history? A Ninjago next generation fanfiction. Don't worry, no mature words/content.
Relationships: Cole/Seliel (Ninjago), Kai/Skylor (Ninjago), Lloyd Garmadon/Original Character(s), Nya/Jay Walker, P.I.X.A.L./Zane (Ninjago)
Kudos: 9





	1. Chapter 1 | Ugh, Why Me?

**Author's Note:**

> Welcome!  
> Thanks for giving this book a chance!  
> Please, no plagiarism and rude comments. Don't like, don't read.  
> In this story, everyone remembers Nadakhan and the events of Skybound.  
> This will be a series, but the other books have not been written yet.  
> Enjoy!

Lily was tired.

She was tired of the glares, tired of the insults, tired of the bullies. And yes, she was also literally exhausted because she only got 4 hours of sleep. _That's what I get for obsessing over an invention until midnight,_ she thought to herself as she yawned and scooted out the car behind her twin brother, Spencer. Honestly though, it you the two of them together, there was no way you could tell they were twins. Lily had sapphire blue eyes that always showed a hint of mischief in them, as well as auburn hair that reached her chest. She had a pale complexion, and freckles dotted the area around her nose . Spencer, on the other hand had a darker complexion, with curly black hair, chocolate brown eyes that reflected responsibility and maturity, although that wasn't usually the case. Don't ever leave the two of them alone, you're bound to regret it.

"Are you going you get out, or fall asleep back there?" Lily's dad, Jay, joked.

"Dad! Of course I am! I'm just really sleepy..." she replied with another huge yawn.

"Well, move your butt, I can't hold the door forever, Lily" Spencer retorted impatiently at his sister.

"Alright, alright, I'm coming! Yeesh!" Lily muttered as she hopped out of the car with another large yawn.

"Quit yawning! You're making me yawn!" Spencer complained as she grabbed her backpack.

"Don't you guys dare start arguing first thing in the morning," Jay called from the car. "Don't forget- Uncle Kai's going to be picking you up today. Bye, birthday twins! Don't let anyone ruin your special day!" He yelled quickly as the door shut and he drove away.

"Special day, huh?" a voice said behind them. The twins whirled around, but they already know who it was.

"What do you want, Renee?" Spencer asked in a dull voice. Renee Olson was the bully of the school. She took and did whatever she wanted, and was always teasing people who she labeled as "weak", and yet was a totally different person when adults were around. Ever since their grade had started middle school at Ninjago West Middle School, her targets had been the Walker twins.

"Just wanted to give the birthday twins a special gift." she taunted with an evil smirk. By then, Lily had realized that Renee's gang had surrounded them and were closing in, their expressions mirroring that of Renee's. The gang shoved the two of them onto the floor, and laughed at them. Renee raised her foot, about to kick Lily, when they heard a voice yell.

"Stop!" the voice commanded, enraged. Lily peeked through the web of legs around her and saw a group of five kids. _Our friends,_ Lily thought happily. The one who had spoken, the one at the front, was Libby Garmadon. Her blonde hair flowed behind her, and her fists were clenched and her emerald green eyes were piercing and full of rage as she stared the bullies down. On either of her sides were Justin and Jax Smith, who were cousins to Lily and Spencer. They had unruly red-brown hair, and had brown eyes. They faces showed anger, but concern as well for the kids on the ground. Behind the three of them were Sara Julien and Melina Brookstone. Sara was actually a robot, but you had to know her well to be able to tell. Her metal frame was covered with artificial skin, and her dirty blonde hair was pulled into a ponytail, her face filled with concern. Mel had shoulder length black hair, and brown-black eyes. Lily knew that the two of them were actually really sky, but their social insecurities were thrown aside as they looked to see how they could help their friends

"Oh no! I'm so scared!" Renee mocked as she took in the faces of the group. "What are you going to do, hit me?"

" _I_ will, if you don't stop right now, young lady. Why don't you leave these kids alone and go to whatever class you're supposed to be in?" another voice growled.

 _Is that... Uncle Kai?_ Lily thought as she turned her head once again, and saw Kai standing over them. 

"We were just helping these kids up after they tripped." Renee tried to cover instantly.

"Yeah right, kid. Now _yeet_." Kai snarled. Renee and her gang scurried away like mice. Kai turned back towards the twins and helped them up.

"Are you guys okay?" he asked. "I was just dropping Justin and Jax off and I thought you guys might need a hand."

"Thanks, Uncle Kai," Spencer said gratefully. "Renee would have beaten us black and blue if you didn't step in."

"Hey! Are you guys okay?" Libby inquired as the group raced towards them.

"Were fine, just shaken up, and honestly? A tab bit annoyed." Lily huffed. Of _course_ they got bullied on their birthday. Just their luck.

"Happy Birthday!"Sara squealed. "How does it feel to be 14?!"

"Right now, not that great." Lily replied, still miffed about the whole morning in general.

"Well, here's one thing to look forward to...your party this evening!" Mel squealed, excitedly

"Well then, have a good day, kids!" Kai yelled and walked away.

"Bye Dad!" the Smiths yelled, and the group walked into the school, chatting about their plans for the party.


	2. Chapter 2 | The Gift

Ding-Dong!

The sound of the doorbell rang clearly through the open house. Lily and Spencer raced to the door. They had been waiting for their parent to get home, because they said they were going to pick up their "extra special birthday gift." Spencer got to the door first and unlocked it to quickly scramble away.

"Beep, beep! Coming through!" Jay yelled as he dragged a huge cardboard box inside, Nya easily carrying a smaller one in her hands. 

"Whoa..." Spencer breathed as the two of them moved out of the way.

"What kind of birthday gift would need a boxes that big?" Lily wondered out loud as their parents set the box down.

"Open it and find out!" Jay said with a childish smirk on his face.

The kids tore the first box open to find pieces of wood, metal, and a book of instructions. 

"Some assembly required..." Jay trailed off with a chuckle.

Spencer moved over to open the second box, which was half the size of the first one, but was stopped by Jay.

"Ah, ah, ah, this one is to be opened after we assemble the present in the first box." He said, tugging the box over to the garage. The four of them dumped the contents out of the box, but what the twins didn't expect was to be sent back inside.

"Aww, come on! We can't even help build our own present?" Lily complained as she and her brother were shoved inside by their parents

"Well, the present wouldn't be surprise then, would it silly?" Nya replied with a giggle. "Besides, you two need to get the house decorated and the food set up for the party. The food is in the kitchen, and I put the decoration stuff in the living room. You guys know what to do from there. Your dad will go get the pizza later, and Uncle Zane is bringing the cake. Now shoo, scram! And _NO PEEKING!_ Understood?" Nya finished without waiting for an answer and shut the door and locked it.

"Well, we better get to work if we want to get this place ready in an hour," Spencer said after a minute. "Do you want to spit up, or work together?"

"Let's work together. We can guess what the present might be while we work!" Lily decided and they got to work.

**_\---Time Skip Bought to you by Jay and Nya Arguing on How to Build the Gift---_ **

Once the twins were done, the house looked pretty good. All around the house, streamers hung from the ceiling, and balloons were scattered everywhere. In the living room, there was a bowl of chips and cans of soda on the center table, with a Fritz Donegan movie waiting to be watched on the T.V. The dining room was set up with food and drinks, and space was left on the table for the pizza and cake. _Actually, the pizza should be here any minute now,_ Lily thought was she was adjusting the "Happy Birthday!" banner that hung above the table. _Bingo!_ Lily thought as the door bell rang. She jumped off the ladder and helped Spencer carry the boxes in.

At that moment, they all heard the door to the garage open, and Nya popped her head in.

"You guys, your present is ready!" She yelled, and went back out.

"Wow, you guys! The house looks amazing!" Jay marveled as they ran to the garage.

"Thanks!" The twins replied at the same time. 

"Yes! Finally!" The kids yelled and ran out. Their jaws dropped at what they saw. It was their own workbench for inventing! There was a table with some drawers built into it, as well as a big backboard with holes peppered through it. They each had their own stool to sit on, and all of their current inventions and toys were organized neatly on the tabletop.

Spencer and Lily had inherited their parent's passions tinkering and building things, so this was a dream come true for them.

"Do you want to see what's in the second box?" Jay asked, laughing at their expressions.

"Uh, _heck yeah_!" Lily said excitedly, and ran over to Spencer, who was already at the box. The opened the box together to see a _full set of the latest high end tools by DeWalt._ **(I had to look up tool brand names for this one, I am not an inventor.)**

"No. WAY." Lily whispered, for once in her life, speechless.

"Yeah. What she said." Spencer said, equally surprised.

"Uhh, you guys okay?" Jay asked, swinging his palm in front of their faces, while Nya just giggled.

"Thank you, thank you, thank you!!!" the twins squealed as they hugged their parents tightly.

"You're welcome." Nya replied with a chuckle as they all went over to organize everything, and started playing around with the new tools. As a family.


	3. Chapter 3 | The Party

"They're here!" Spencer yelled from the window as he ran to get the door. Lily joined him, but they were both beaten to it by their dad.

"Hey, Zaptrap," Cole greeted, stepping in.

"Hey, Dirtclod," Jay responded.

"Motormouth," Kai acknowledged as he entered as well.

"Hot Head," Jay retorted one again, as quick as ever. This way of greeting was not unusual, as all the parents were a close group, practically family. Lily's parents said they met at college, but she thought that they might have met in high school, considering how close they were.

"Here is the cake, Jay." Zane said after the greetings were finished.

"Ah, thanks Zane! I'll take it off your hands now." Jay replied as he took the cake and walked toward the dining room.

"There's cake? And Zane made it? This party is gonna be epic!" Cole exclaimed, ecstatic.

"Hey guys, happy birthday!" Libby squealed as she walked in. She gave them a big hug, and them thrust the presents into their hands. The others did more or less of the same thing.

"Thanks, you guys!" the two of them responded behind huge piles of gifts. They set them down on a table and took them over to the garage to show them their new workbench. Everyone ohhed and ahhed over it, and then they went to the living room to chat.

"Hey kids, if you need us, we'll be in the kitchen!" their Aunt Liane called when she saw the group of children.

"Okay, Mom!" Libby called back as the sat down, and turned to face everyone.

"I'm sorry about what happened this morning." Libby started, looking a little sad.

"You mean Renee Olson? Why are you sorry? If you weren't there, she would have beaten us to a pulp!" Spencer exclaimed, surprised by her words.

"Why don't you stand up to her, though?" Justin started. Jax continued his brother's statement.

"Yeah, she does that to you guys so often. Why don't you ever stand up to her? Give her a taste of her own medicine!" He said, anger glistening in his eyes.

"I know, I know." Lily mumbled. "But, even if we did do anything, she would make it come back to us tenfold. Now can we please watch the movie? I've been dying to see it since it came out."

They all exchanged glances, but let the topic rest as they grabbed snacks and settled down to watch the movie.


	4. Chapter 4 | Who's this guy?

Lily was watching the movie with everyone else when they heard the door bell ring.

"Lily, can you get the door?" her mom's voice called from the kitchen, where all the adults were chatting.

"Okay!" She yelled back and turned around. "Pause the movie for me, Spence." she commanded as she walked over to the door. The bell buzzed again.

"I'm coming, I'm coming!" she yelled. _Who could possibly be coming to out house at 9 on a Friday?_ Lily wondered as she opened the door. The person at the door was one she hadn't seen before. Was his face.. _white?_ And was that a _tail_ behind him? This person had an unnaturally long neck, and seemed to be holding what looked like a genie lamp in his hands. Lily stared at him, jaw slightly unhinged, when the man spoke.

"Are your parents home, young one?" he asked, his voice slightly raspy. Lily came back to her senses.

"Umm, yeah." She turned around and called for her parents. "Mom, Dad, there's someone for you." She heard chairs scrape against the hardwood floor, and saw her parents come out of the kitchen, still chuckling at something. But, as soon as they saw the mysterious person, they froze, and their faces became tense. Jay and Nya just stood there for a second, their eyes moving between the man and what he was holding. Then, her father gestured towards Lily and the living room with his head, and her mom nodded. She took Lily's hand and lead her towards the living room.

"Mom, what's going on?" Lily asked as she was pushed to the living room.

"Shh. Not now." Her mom responded tersely. Once they reached the hall, she immediately gathered all of the kids, and took them to the kitchen.

The adults were sitting around the dining table, laughing about a joke Lloyd had just made. Kai was the first to notice his sister's expression.

"What's wrong, sis?" He asked, concerned."Who was at the door?"

The others noticed this and frowned and turned to face Nya. She took a deep breath and said,

"Pythor. And he has the Teapot of Tyrahn."

At that phrase, everyone's faces changed. Everyone stood up with determined looks on their faces. _What's happening?_ All the kids wondered as Lloyd started talking.

"And Jay is out there, alone?" Nya nodded. "Cole, Kai, Zane and I will go out there. The rest of you protect the kids, and maybe talk to them too." Everyone gestured that they understood.

The dads walked out of the room, headed for the door. Meanwhile the moms and grandparents gathered the kids up, and guided everyone back to to the living room, making them sit right next to the back door.

"Now, I want everyone to listen closely." Nya started. "That guy out there is bad news. Do you know what's even worse? The thing he was holding." Justin tried to say something, but Lily's mom kept going. "I'm not finished! Let me finish. If something is to happen here tonight- you'll know what I mean if it happens- then I want you to go out the back door and run as fast as you can to Libby's house. It's the safest one out of all of ours, _and stay out of trouble._ Aunt Skylor, Aunt Seliel, Aunt Liane and Aunt Pixal will come with you. Hide in a safe place, but somewhere near a exit." She pauses, and Skylor continues.

"If nothing goes wrong, forget all of this happened. Any questions?" Skylor asks. Justin immediately tried to talk, but is interrupted when the mysterious man slithers in. The dads run in right after, and their expressions were so angry that Lily was glad that they were not mad at her. _What could possibly have gotten the so riled up?_ Lily thought as she stared up at the scene playing out in front of them.

"If you even touch that teapot, Pythor, I swear to the First Spinjitzu Master that you will regret it!" Jay yelled, trying not to let his panic reach his voice

"Well, too late for that now, isn't it?" the guy-Pythor-replied with a chuckle. He turned towards Lily and Spencer and said "Consider this my birthday present to you two. Time seemed to slow down as this hand reached for the dial on the teapot and twisted it into place. The minute the picture on the front was aligned, it started to shake and an orange cloud of something started to pour out and formed a human-like shape. It turned around, looking at itself and it's surroundings, and then spoke in a dark, scratchy voice.

"Yes," it murmured. "I'm back!"

_Who's this guy?!_ Lily thought once again, and by the expressions on her friend's faces, she assumed they were thinking of the same thing. It had become the question of the day.

"Yes," the figure muttered once again. Was it floating? Was it real? Lily couldn't tell.

"Ha! And you thought you had gotten rid of me forever, Blue Ninja!" The person shrieked, whirling around to face _Lily's father_. Blue Ninja? Would someone _please_ explain?

"Nadakhan." Jay whispered, his face full of fear and panic. _Who now?_ Lily thought.

"That's right, and-" the orange dude- Nadakhan- was interrupted by the white snake guy.

"Excuse me, sire but I was the one who released you, so may I have my three wishes?" the white snake guy- Pythor- asked.

"Can't you see I'm busy right now?" Nadakhan snapped, glaring at Pythor.

"Yes, but I have a feeling you'll like what I have to ask." he replied, grinning slyly. Nadakhan looked at him expectantly. Pythor took a deep breath and spoke, his smile growing wider.

"For my first wish, I wish that you cannot be defeated by wishes. For the second, I wish that Tiger Widow Venom does not harm you." 

Nadakhan's face split into an evil sneer.

"Your wish is yours to keep." he says. He spreads his arms out, and then glows for a second.

Lily's mom immediately turns to them with an absolutely terrified face and says,

"Run."


	5. Chapter 5 | The Escape

Lily's mind was whirling, trying to comprehend what was going on. She know that they had to get out of here, but their feet stayed frozen on the ground, refusing to cooperate.

"Come on! We must get out of here!" Pixal was trying to get them to move without drawing attention to them. The kids were finally able to get out of their frozen state and got up. Unfortunately for them, this got Nadakhan's attention, and the door's lock clicked shut as Seliel reached for the door knob.

"We don't want anyone escaping now, would we?" he said to Seliel and looked straight at the kids. "And we have children now, do we?" Nadakhan guffawed and turned towards the fathers, and Lily's mom walked up to them.

 _What is she doing?_ Lily thought in a panic. Nadakhan continued talking.

"Where are your powers, Ninja? Did they fail you, now that your family is in danger?" he said mockingly. The adults surrounding Nadakhan looked at each other in hesitation, but then Lloyd nodded, and their faces became determined.

"Not gone, hidden," Lloyd said. Lily's fear melded with confusion as she realized that the circle of people, as well as her Aunt Skylor were _glowing_. Each person was glowing a different color. Lily's father was glowing a darker shade of blue, while her mother was glowing a lighter one. Lloyd was glowing green, while Zane was glowing white and Cole was glowing black. Kai was glowing red, and Skylor was orange. Suddenly, each person was surrounded in an orb of their color, and then the lights were gone.

"Whoa..." Spencer whispered, while Lily noticed that her Aunt Pixal had...vanished. She looked around, but saw nothing. Her attention was brought back to the scene in front of her, and she realized that Skylor and Seliel were standing in front of the group of kids. It looked like they were in a fighting stance, ready to protect them if the time came. Nadakhan began to speak once more.

"Ah, well this time, nothing can stop me. You cannot weaken me, nor can you wish me away. This is your end, Ninja. say goodbye to your families and your home." He began to laugh, hard and loud. The parents suddenly looked up, and glanced toward each other. They nodded, and Lloyd silently counted down. _Three, two, one,_ he mouthed and yelled the last word.

"Now!" he called. At that instant so many things happened, it was a miracle that Lily was able to keep track of them all. Lloyd, Kai, and Cole ran towards Nadakhan, attacking him from all sides. Nya, Jay, and Zane ran towards the kids, and helped them up.

"Come on! We must get you out of here! Zane yelled as he flung the door to the backyard open, and the rest of the adults practically pushed the kids outside. Once they got out, they made a ring around the kids and kept looking up to the sky.

"She should be here any moment now." Zane reassured the rest of the Ninja. _Who is she? Come on, people, give us some info! _Lily thought with exasperation, but added that to the list of questions she would ask her parents later. Suddenly, she saw a dot in the sky that grew larger by the second.

"Uh, Spencer, do you see this?" Lily asked, so confused at this point that she thought that this was just a really, REALLY weird dream.

"I was just about to ask you the same thing." he replied starting at the dot, which actually looked like a... ship?

Suddenly, Kai, Cole, and Lloyd burst out of the house.

"Is she here yet?" they panted, sweat dripping down their foreheads. Zane scanned the sky, and gave a small sigh of relief as he saw the ship.

"Yes, Pixal is approaching us now." he replied. _Wait, Aunt Pixal?_ Lily thought, but had no time to process it because the ship had landed in front of them, and the parents were literally shoving them towards it.

"Can we not get on the scary flying ship please?" Mel squeaked.

"That ship is our ticket to safety. Stop struggling, and for goodness sake, _run_!" Cole snapped, worry in his eyes as he kept talking. "I don't know how much longer Nadakhan will stay there."

Just as he said that, everyone herd a huge crash from inside the house. The kids were confused, exhausted, and their minds were pleading for answers. And yet, in that moment, hearing that crash, everything in them told them to _run_.

They ran and they ran until they were safe on the ships deck, the adults close behind. The minute everyone was aboard, Lily heard a mechanical roar and felt the floor rise beneath her as they soared away, leaving Nadakhan, and their old lives, behind.


	6. Chapter 6 | Explanations... Maybe?

Everyone stood panting on the front deck, trying to catch their breath as the ship zoomed across the sky. Libby was the first one to speak.

"Umm...okay, then. That just happened. Explanations please? Like, right now?"

"Sorry sweetheart, but now's really not the best time." Lloyd called behind him as all the adults ran up towards the main deck. The kids followed them, annoyed and confused. There they saw...

"Mom? How're you here? You didn't get on with us!" Sara asked, voicing the question on everyone's minds.

"Who else would have brought the Bounty here, Sara?" Pixal replied patiently.

"Wait, the Bounty? is that what this ship is called? And how does it fly? and who was the orange dude? And the snake guy? And what about-" Spencer started rambling, listing off the questions that first came to mind.

"All questions that will be answered in time," a new voice interrupted from the back of the room. Everyone turned to see who had spoken.

"Grandpa Wu!" the kids explained.

"Sensei!" the parents said too, pleasantly surprised.

"Happy Birthday, Lily and Spencer. I'm sorry that it had to end this way. I know you're confused, but all will be explained later. For now, we have more pressing matters to discuss." Wu said.

"Yes, and it is probably best if you get to sleep now, isn't it? Tomorrow is going to be...eventful, to say the least." another voice joined in.

"Mom!" Lloyd sighed, and gave Misako a hug.

"Yeah, you guys should go to sleep," Nya agreed,"You can sleep in our old bedroom."

"Our?" Jax asked, skeptical.

"Follow me!" said Jay and led them to the bedroom. There were six bunks, three pushed against each wall. the back wall had shelves and a bulletin board filled with pictures of...their parents! They looked younger, and had color coded outfits on in all of them. Lily looked around the room. It was pretty sparse, other than the back wall and a few...sharp toys... scattered everywhere. The sheets on the bunks were color coordinated as well, with what looked like symbols on them.

"This is where you will be sleeping. Come on now, get in." Pixal ushered them to their beds. The parents went to tuck their kids in. Nya went with Spencer, while Jay went with Lily.

"Here, you can have my old one." Jay pulled the blankets up to Lily's shoulders, and tucked her hair inside.

"You haven't tucked me in since I was 8 years old." Lily muttered.

"You didn't want me too!"

They were silent for a second.

"Dad, everything is going to be fine, right? This is just temporary, and we'll go back home tomorrow, and eat leftover pizza and cake, and finish the Fritz Donnegan movie, and everything will go back to normal, right?" Lily asked, because honestly, she was scared and confused, and needed reassurance, even though deep inside, she knew that tonight changed everything in her life.

"I can't promise any of that, Spark, but we _will_ be alright." Jay says after a hesitant pause. He kisses her forehead, and walks towards the adults gathered in the center.

"Goodnight, Spark," he says, and faces the center. Lily closed her eyes, but was actually paying attention to what the adults were saying. She wasn't going to go to sleep without answers.

"Okay guys, lets meet at the bridge in 15 minutes. Try to find your old Gis, they should be around here somewhere." Lloyd says in a whisper, and they walked out of the room and shut the door. Lily laid there in the dark, with her eyes wide open, until a voice spoke.

"We're totally spying on that meeting, right?" Libby asked as her voice broke through the silence.

"Yeah," five other voices responded back, "Definitely."


	7. Chapter 7 | Spying

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter does mention ages, but they're just my own head canon, so if you don't agree, that's okay! Enjoy!

"Ow! Get off my foot!"

"Someone's elbow is in by rib cage..."

"Will you stop shoving me!"

"Well, sorry, but your head is in the way!"

"See, this is what happens when you shove seven people in a small closet!"

"Guys, we're gonna get caught!"

"You're too quiet, Mel. Lemme do it. EVERYBODY SHUT UP!"

It was Libby's whisper-yell that finally brought the group to silence. They had snuck out of bed and were now in a closet in the Bridge, hoping to get some information from their parents' meeting. 

"My sensors indicate several people coming here now." Sara stated, her blue eyes glowing faintly. Seconds later, they heard voices outside the door. Everyone craned their necks to see through the little crack in the door. Jay and Nya were there, and they were standing near the edge of the deck, looking down below the ship. The kids grew silent praying that they wouldn't be found. Slowly, they started to hear bits of their conversation.

"-I just keep thinking that this isn't real, he isn't really back, and that we'll wake up in the morning and I'll tell you about this and we'll just laugh it off and go on with life." Jay said

"I want that too, but we always knew that our past would catch up to us someday. We just have to do what we always do, save the world."

"Yeah, I just wish that our kids didn't have to go through what we did." Jay said quietly, and they stayed quiet for a while before he spoke again.

"You know what Lily asked me before she fell asleep? She asked me if things would go back to normal, and if everything would be okay. And I honestly couldn't answer that because with us, anything is possible. I want them to have normal lives, to be kids, instead of having this responsibility of elemental powers and saving Ninjago and- " Jay's voice cracked and Lily suddenly realized that her father was starting to _glow and spark_. It took everything in her to keep her gasp inside. She glanced at her brother, who's eyes were wide as well. Lily turned back to her parents. Nya had noticed too, and way rubbing Jay's back, telling him to take deep breaths. Slowly, he stopped glowing. They were quiet, but then the silence was broken by everyone else entering the room.

"Is everyone here?" Lloyd asked, making sure that all the adults were present. Jay and Nya were here, and so were Kai, Skylor, Cole, and Seliel. Lloyd had come in here with Zane, Pixal, Sensei Wu, and Misako, so everyone was here.

"Okay then. So first, whAT THE HECK JUST HAPPENED."

"Um, I believe that we were just attacked by two former villains that we defeated in our past, that we, may I add, barely managed to escape." Zane replied, slightly puzzled by this question.

"Yes, Zane," Lloyd muttered, slightly exasperated, "I know. I mean about the whole _Pythor-practically-wishing-Nadhakan-invincible_ part. Last time, it took us Tiger Widow Venom, all our wishes, everything we had in us, and pure luck to just barely defect him and save everyone. And now we can't use any of that." Everyone was silent as they let this depressing thought sink in.

"Maybe you could trap him in another realm with the Realm Crystal?" Liane said, slightly hesitant.

"No, it was destroyed when we fought the Oni." Lloyd replied. They stood there for some more time, deep in thought. Jay was the one who broke the silence.

"I can't think, guys. I can't do anything! My mind keeps going back to when we last fought Nadakhan and I can't stop thinking about how wrong things could have gone. How wrong things almost went. We were barely able to beat him, and Nya _died_ in the process! And now we have kids! We couldn't even keep ourselves safe, how are we supposed to keep them safe too? And what if he takes one of them! I-" Jay took a deep breath and put his head in his arms. "I'm just so scared, guys. I can't bear the pain of losing someone else, even if they came back. First Zane, then Nya, then Cole and Lloyd. And now we're introducing seven fifteen-year-olds into this world of craziness." Jay sighed. Everyone stayed silent, not sure how to react to Jay's outburst. He had voiced the same feelings inside them, and they were reasoning with themselves. Finally, Nya spoke up.

"You know what Jay? I'm not going to tell you that everything will turn out fine. I'm not going to tell you that our lives will go back to normal, and that we will defeat him and go back to our peaceful lives because none of us are dumb enough to believe that. We all know the things we have to face and do, and we know that sacrifices must be made. I know you're scared, Jay. We're all scared, but we're going to be brave. Because who else is there to rely on? We will be brave for the people of Ninjago. For each other. For our family." 

"And besides," Kai started. "We were about the same age when we started too. I was around 15 or 16, I think." Everyone joins in."I was 14 when Kai joined, but I was 16 when Wu told me I was a Ninja." Nya stated.

"I was 14 or 15." Jay said next.

"I think I was around 16 ish," Cole recalled.

"I do not know how old I was, I may have been either 30 or 15, you can choose." Zane spoke.

" I don't even want to guess my age," Lloyd chuckled "Let's see, I was 7 when the whole 'serpentine' thing happened, and then 8 before the Tomorrow's Tea, and 15 after it, I think? I can only approximate." He paused for a second, and then said, "Did I seriously _just_ realize how weird my life has been?" Everyone laughed at that. Even Mel started to giggle in the back of the closet. 

"Mel, cut it out! Your going to get us caught!" Justin hisses, trying to get her to stop. 

"Sorry, sorry, I,'m trying!" she gasped back, failing to stop her laughter. Unfortunately for them, Melina had one of those infections giggles that could get anyone laughing. Soon, Sara started giggling too. 

"Would you two be quiet?!" It was Jax's turn to hiss, but they couldn't keep their giggles in.

"Hang on, I got this." Libby said as she reached over and clamped her hands over their mouths, and their chuckles were immediately silenced. In a string of bad luck, Libby's elbows had shoved the Smith boys, who landed on the Walker twins, who inevitably fell out of the closet.

"Ahh!" Spencer yelled as they fell, which was followed by a loud "Oof!" when he landed on his face.

"Spencer?"

"Lily?"

"Libby?"

"Sara?"

"Justin?"

"Jax?"

"Mel?"

"What in the name of the First Spinjitzu Master are you doing here?"


	8. Chapter 8 | Some Answers! Finally!

"Hi?" Mel said hesitantly as the kids slowly got up

"You guys better have a good explanation for this," Kai started but was interrupted by Skylor

"Kai, don't blame them. If you were thrust into this situation with no information whatsoever, your first choice would be to find out what was going on too."

"Yeah, alright." Kai receded, and Lloyd took over.

"Well, since we're all up, do you guys have any questions?" Lloyd asked. There was silence for a second, and then everyone started talking at once.

"Who was that guy?"

"How is this ship flying?"

"What do you mean, 'elemental powers'?"

"How are Ninjas involved in this?"

"Who are you really?"

"Do we have pudding cups?" Everyone stopped and turned their heads to look at Jay.

"Seriously Jay?" Nya muttered.

"Wrong time? He asked sheepishly.

"Very much so." Zane replied.

"One at a time, _please_! Raise your hand!" Lloyd yelled over the cascade of questions. Everybody immediately quieted down, and hands shot up in the air, waving furiously.

"Okay, Justin."

"Who was the orange carrot dude?" Justin asked.

"1) _Don't_ call him a carrot," Lloyd answered with a chuckle. "2) His name is Nadakhan, and he is a djinn, which is sort of like a genie. Okay, yes Sara?"

"How is this ship flying? It completely defies the rules of science!" Sara asked, puzzled.

"Honestly, we do not know. After hours of pouring over scientific formulas, we just gave up." Zane replied. Libby asked the next question.

"What did you mean, 'elemental powers'?"

Everyone looked at each other hesitantly, as if asking each other whether to answer the question or not. Then, they all gave a small nod and looked to Lloyd, who took a deep breath and stepped forward.

The kids watched intently, wondering what was happening as Lloyd put his hands together and scrunched his face in concentration. Slowly, a ball of green light began to grow in between his palms until it was the size of a volleyball. 

"This is an elemental power."

Lily's jaw dropped. _What? What is that?_ she thought. She noticed some of the other adults step forward as well and put their hands together in the same way. The area between their hands began to glow softly, and something began to grow inside until they were about the same size.

"Soo, you guys have frEAKING SUPERPOWERS?!" Justin exclaimed, pretty much summing up everyone's thoughts.

"You could say that," Jay chuckled sheepishly.

"These powers we have are called 'elemental powers', and each control something in this world. My power is Energy, Kai's is Fire, Zane is Ice, Cole is Earth, Jay is Lightning, Nya is Water, and Skylor is Amber."

"What's Amber?" Jax asked.

"It means that I can absorb the power of any elemental master by touch." Skylor explained. "Here, let me show you."

She proceeded to high five or fist bump all the adults at the front, and wielded their elements.

"Wait...what about Mom, Aunt Seliel, and Aunt Pixal?" Libby asked.

"We don't have powers, honey. We're just normal people." Liane replied.

"You know, this was supposed to help us clear up questions, not add more!" Lily exclaimed, slightly annoyed, but in awe.

"Everything will be explained in the morning, I promise." Nya assured the kids. "We're just answering basic questions now."

"So what do Ninjas have anything to do with this?" Spencer blurted out, not even waiting to be called.

"1) The plural is still _Ninja_ , not _Ninjas_ ," Kai replied, "And 2) that's what we are. We're Ninja, and we protect Ninjago from evil." **(** **it bothers me when people call them Ninjas because they say in the second pilot episode that the plural is _Ninja_ , so just dropping this here, no offense to anyone)**

"So you're superheroes with superpowers." Mel summarized.

"Sort of, yeah." Cole replied.

"And why exactly did you thought it was a good idea to keep this a secret?" Sara asked, looking slightly frazzled.

Zane sighed. "We just wanted you to have a normal life, without the worry of keeping your identity a secret, watching your back for new villains or old foes. We wanted you to enjoy your childhood and be kids. But I guess that's gone now."

"Wait a second, why is our old life gone? You guys will stop the carrot man, and we'll go back to our lives, right?" Lily asked in a small voice. "Right?"

There was silence for a few seconds, but then Jay spoke.

"We could, but then you would never reach your True Potential, and you'd never see how much you could really do." he answered.

"....What do you mean?" Lily asked even quieter, if that was even possible. Jay sighed.

"You guys have powers too."


	9. Chapter 9 | A Plan

"Okay, wait a minute, back up. _We_ have powers? Justin asked, and Kai nodded.

"How the heck do we have powers?! We're just kids, who, may I add, can't even get through a school day without getting beaten up!" Lily blurted, her mind spinning from everything that had happened today.

"Elemental Powers are passed down through the generations. We got them from our parents, and you got yours from us." Lloyd answered.

"You know, maybe you should sleep on this, and we'll tell you more tomorrow. How does that sound?" Pixal suggests, and the rest off the parents nod in agreement. Lily opened her mouth to protest, but a yawn came out of her mouth instead. _Maybe sleep would be a good idea,_ she thought as the adults led them to the bedroom once again. Lily didn't realize that she had stated to fall asleep while walking until her dad had stopped her with his hand. She had almost tripped over a pair of dusty blue nunchucks laying on the floor.

"Watch out!" Jay said gently as he pulled her back. "We really weren't this messy back then...they're Cole's!" He tried to cover as he tucked Lily back into the blue bed.

"They're BLUE! And you're the only one who uses nunchucks, JAY!" Cole yells back accusingly from across the room. Everyone chuckles, except for the kids, who are super confused.

"Here we go again," Nya mutters from Spencer's bedside and gets up. "Goodnight kids. Get all the sleep you can, 'cause you'll need it. Jay, Cole, stop arguing!" And with that, they left the room, with Jay and Cole still bickering, and Kai and Lloyd laughing at something one of them said.

There was silence for a little bit, but then Mel spoke up.

"How do they do that?" She asked quietly.

"Do what? Lily replied, confused.

"They seem so happy and carefree, but we have an evil carrot on our tail, and have no clue how to stop him! How do they do it? How can they act so normal when everything's the opposite of normal!" Lily could relate to what Mel was feeling. Everything they knew had just crashing down on them, but their parents seemed fine. She didn't know how to answer Mel, but fortunately, Sara did.

"I think it's because they have done this before and are used to the pressure, and they know about their powers. We were just hit with this information, so we are shocked."

The others might have kept talking, but Lily wouldn't know. She had already fallen asleep.

_\-----Le Time Skip of Awesomeness-----_

Lily slowly opened her eyes, blinking until they adjusted to the light streaming in from the windows.

She got out of bed and stretched her arms out, looking around. _Where am I?_ She asked herself groggily until last night's events came back to her. _So it was real,_ she thought. _I wasn't dreaming._ Lily noticed that the others were still sleeping, though Spencer looked like he was stirring. She quietly tip-toed out, trying to locate her parents, or at least some food. They last thing Lily had eaten was the pizza from her party. 

She stepped out and closed the door, then looked around. Where to go? She heard shouts and yells from the left, so she followed the noises down the hall. The hallway led Lily back to the bridge, where she was now able to see the source of the noises. Wow. Now this was something she'd never seen before.

It looked like their parents were sparring. Jay and Nya against Lloyd, Zane against Pixal, Kai against Skylor, and Cole against Seliel. They leaped, twisted, kicked, and shouted, moving with such speed and agility that they were just blurs of color. Meanwhile, Wuwas standing in front of her, at the edge of the Bridge, yelling critiques at them, and Liane was sitting on the floor, pouring over a large book and multiple different flowers and leaves. 

Lily knew that Libby's mom was good with natural remedies, or any kind of healing in general. She remembered when she and Spencer had gotten sick, and were throwing up left and right. Her dad was running around like a headless chicken, and her mom was trying her best to help, but it was only when Aunt Liane had given them a medicinal tea that they felt better.

"Whoa." A voice whispered from behind Lily, and she jumped.

"Spencer!" She whisper-shrieked once she realized that it was just her brother. "Don't do that!"

"Why are we hiding?" He asked, completely ignoring the facts that he scared her.

"We aren't. I was just standing here." she replied back.

Lily thought that they were quiet, but they must have been louder than she thought, because Liane had noticed the two of them standing in the shadows.

"Good Morning, Lily. Good Morning, Spencer. How are you feeling?" she asked warmly.

"Kind of like I've been mentally run over my a train, but yeah, I've been better." Lily replied, remembering the intensity of last night as the two of them walked over to her.

The sound of voices caught Wu's attention, and he glanced behind him. Once he saw the Walker twins, he called for the Ninja to stop and come up to the Bridge. By the time they got up there, the other kids had woken up and were standing there bleary eyed.

"'Morning, kiddos!" Jay said enthusiastically and approached his kids for a hug, but was pulled away by Nya.

"Let's not rub our pig sweat all over the kids, they've just woken up." She suggested, to which Jay nodded his head in approval.

"Okay, we've had our sleep, so explain." Libby demanded, cutting right to the chase.

"Yes, we will, but let's just do it over breakfast." Lloyd said, and led them to the dining room. The Ninja got everyone situated, and then started telling their tale.

\-----Another Time Skip of Awesomeness-----

\-----Quick Backstory of How Liane Met the Ninja-----

(Just imagine that this story was told to the kids as part of the Ninja's history, except I'll just be summarizing what happened.)

_So after the battle with the Oni, the Ninja needed to heal their wounds. Lucky for them, a new apothecary/pharmacy had opened in Ninjago City. Liane worked there, and she was hired for her knowledge of natural medicine, and was the person sent to the Monastery of Spinjitzu. There, she worked her magic (No, she does not have powers) and everyone felt better, but she also met Lloyd there. Something clicked between the two, the liked each other, fell in love, got married, blah blah blah, you get the gist._

\-----Back to Reality (Or as Real as You Can Get In A Fanfic)-----

"Whoa" Lily breathed, breaking the silence that fell once Lloyd finished their story.

"I hope that you now see why we had to hide this from you," Pixal said. "We only wanted you to have normal lives, things that most of us never had."

"So what now?" Justin asked, his face scrunched up in thought.

"I think I may have found something we can use to stop Nadakhan!" Misako said as she burst into the room.

"Our pig sweat?" Jay offered. Everyone rolled their eyes at that.

" _No_ , Jay. But I was analyzing some new scrolls that I found recently, and I uncovered something that might help us." Misako set a scroll of parchmentdown on the table and opened it.

_"If a foe is who you need to defeat, the Rings of Creation are what you seek."_   
_"Relics from the First Realm are they, and the power of the Tornado of Creation they display."  
_ _"The location these Rings might give you a scare, for they are in a place filled with despair."_  
_"These Rings only Elementals of Creation may wield, but their lives they may need to yield."_   


"The foe we need to defeat is Nadakhan." Misako started to explain.

"And these things have the power of the Tornado of Creation?" Kai asked.

"Well then why don't we just the Tornado of Creation? Why do we need to go to the trouble of finding these Rings of Creation?" Jay questioned.

"Because your Tornado will no longer be as strong." Wu replied. "It has been too long since you have used your Spinjitzu, and your children don't know Spinjitzu yet."

" _They are in a place filled with despair..._ " Cole read. "What places do we know that are 'filled with despair'?"

"The Caves of Despair!" Zane exclaimed, and everyone nodded.

"That sounds right." Pixal affirmed.

" _These Rings only Elementals of Creation may wield,_ " Lloyd repeated. "The Elements of Creation are Fire, Ice, Earth, Lightning, and Energy. That must mean only Kai, Zane, Cole, Jay, and I can use them."

"But that last part scares me the most. _But their lives they may need to yield._ " Nya recited.

"It means that they may need to give up their lives." Pixal summarized, leaving the others in silence.

_My father, my uncles, they could die?_ Lily thought, slightly- no, totally- terrified.

"Well, we've faced these odds before, right? We got this!" Jay chuckled hesitantly, trying to lift their spirits.

They chuckled and muttered words of encouragement, trying not think of that last phrase.

"At least we're better off than we were last night." Lloyd stated. "We have a plan."


	10. Chapter 10 | Prove It.

There was a soft wind blowing as the Bounty gently glided through the sky. Everyone was scattered around the ship, all immersed in their own thoughts and jobs.

Lily was wandering around, trying to process everything that had happened with the last two days when she found herself standing on the same deck she was on when she woke up that morning. Lily walked over to the railing and stared down at the ground racing away below her, trying to see if she could spot any familiar landmarks. After a while of staring at splotches of green, she turned around and started to walk back inside when she heard grunts and the telltale smack of a fist hitting nylon. She walked down to the main deck to see who it was and spotted her father furiously strangling a punching bag with a picture of the carrot- Nadakhan- taped on, sweat dripping down his forehead, eyes filled with rage and...fear?

"Hey," Lily called uncertainly, feeling slightly awkward. Jay jumped at the sound. He looked up and spotted Lily.

"Hey," he called back. He peeled off his hand wraps and approached her. "How are you doing?"

"Kind of like I've been mentally run over by a train, but yeah, I've been better," She replied, recounting her words from this morning.

Jay chuckled. "Yeah, I remember feeling about the same way on my first day."

They stood in awkward silence as they wandered over to the edge and stared down at the ground flying by beneath them.

"Prove it," Lily demanded all of a sudden.

Jay blinked. "Prove what?"

"Prove that you can do...whatever you did last night. That it wasn't all a sleep-deprived dream."

Her dad opened his hand. He closed his eyes for a second and willed a few sparks to bounce around in his hand. Lily looked at the lightning in his hands and felt all the hope in her that this wasn't real, that this was just a really bad dream and that they would go back to life as normal.

Jay could see the emotions on her face as clear as day. "You okay, Spark?"

Lily plastered a fake smile on her face. "Yeah, I'm fine," she replied. Jay hummed and spoke.

"You know, it's totally okay to feel overwhelmed-"

"Who says I'm overwhelmed?" There was a pause.

"So you're not even a tad bit-"

"Nope."

Jay waited with a smirk on his face, knowing Lily would break any second-

"i'M tOtAllY fReAkInG oUt!!!!!!"

Ah. There it was. No child of his could go this long without ranting.

He pulled Lily into a hug as she mumbled under her breath. "Talk to me. What's going on?"

Lily's eyes widened. "wHaT's gOiNg oN?! tHaT'S wHaT _i'M_ tRyInG tO uNdErsTaNd!!'

 _Ugh, bad choice of words,_ Jay thought but kept his mouth shut. "Okay, go on," he urged

She took a deep breath. "WellIdon'treallyunderstandanythingthatishappeningallIwantrightnowistogobackandfinishthatmovieandcakeitwasdeliciousbutthenthiscarrotappersoutofnowhereandyouguyssuddenlyhavesuperpowersandyouthoughtitwasokaytokeepitasecretfromallofusandyouresayingwehavesuperpowersbutifyoutoldusthisbeforethenwecouldhavekickedreneeolsonsbuttandwewouldnthavetobebulliedandwhatshappeningnowwhatisthisnewprophecythingwhataretheringsofcreationwhatisspinjitzuthismakesabsolutelynosenseansthatlastlinesaysyouguysaregoingtodiebutIdontwantanyonenodieIjustwantlifetogobacktonormalandIkindofthinkthisisadreambutI'mnotreallysureanymorebecauseyoujustproveditandI'mnotsleepdeprivedorhungryortiredandI'msounbelieveablescaredlikegoingoutofmymindscaredandIdon'tknowIdon'tknowIdon'tknowIdon't-"

"Hey, hey, it's okay! Just take deep breaths. In and out. That's it." Jay instructed, trying to get Lily to calm down, which she did after a few deep breaths.

"Sorry," she chuckled once she stopped hyperventilating.

"Um, have you met me? I could be the Master of Panicking if that was an element," Jay joked. They laughed a little, but it died quickly.

"How did you deal with this, Dad?" Lily asked in a small voice.

Jay sighed. "Didn't have the time. The minute we were done training, we were sent to rescue your mom and then stop evil kiddie Lloyd and the Serpentine. You just accept it when you're thrown into it."

They fell quiet once more, staring at the sunset.

"Here, close your eyes." Jay said all of a sudden.

"Okay?" Lily replies hesitantly, but listens. She feels her father grab her hand and feels a small tickle. She giggled, "That tickles!"

"Okay, now open your eyes." Jay instructs. She opens them, and sees-

"hOLY FRICK FRACK-" She exclaims, seeing the electricity bouncing from her father's hand to hers.

"Hey, hey, look. You were so scared of this power, but look. It's not hurting you. In fact, it made you smile." He said as he let go of Lily's hand.

'Yeah, I guess you're right," She says with a pause, thinking it over. The silence came back once more.

"Look, I know you're scared and that this is a lot to take in," Jay started. "I get it, I really do. But you need to understand that some bad things can happen in this line of work."

"Like getting tortured by an evil pirate genie?" Lily asked innocently.

Jay winced. "Yeah, but let's try to avoid talking about that. Once was plenty for me." Lily recognized the pain in his eyes and dropped it.

"But as I was saying, bad things can happen. That's something I cannot hide from you. But I swear upon the First Spinjitzu Master, no harm will come to you, Spencer, or any of the kids. I speak for all of us that we would lay down our lives to protect you."

Lily was about to open her mouth and reply. _That's exactly what scares me, I don't want anyone to die. None of us do,_ she wanted to say, but that's when the intercom shrieked.

The two of them covered their ears but took their hands off when they heard Nya's voice.

"Hehe, whoops. Forgot that this thing hasn't been used in a while, sorry! But we need everyone back at the Bridge.

"We're here."


	11. Chapter 11 | The Caves of Despair

Jay and Lily gave each other a quick glance before making their way up to Nya. By the time they had reached, the others were already there.

"Is everyone here? Good." Nya started as she started to explain what was to happen. "So Misako's scrolls tell us that the Rings will be somewhere within this area." She pointed to an area on the map. "We just need to go in and out, as quick as possible. Jay, Kai, Lloyd, Cole, and Zane will go in first. Me, Pixal, Skylor, Seliel, and Liane will surround the cave in case you need reinforcements or medical attention. And _never say the w-word_ , or else he will be able to track us down and find out what we're doing."

"Who, the carrot guy?" Spencer asked.

"Yes. Any questions?" Libby raised her hand. "Yes Libby?"

"Are we coming with you?" She questioned. The adults gave her weird looks.

"No? I thought that that would be established due to the circumstances?" Lloyd said to his daughter with a raised eyebrow.

"But-"

"No buts, missy." Liane cut in. "This is not for kids. You are staying on the ship. End of discussion." As the kids opened their mouths to argue, Kai cut in.

"Well, we need to head down and gear up. We're going to be landing soon." Everyone nodded and murmured their agreements as they left the room, leaving just the kids standing there.

"We can't just let them go like that! The prophecy said that these rings might kill them, we can't just let them go alone!" Libby cried out the minute they left.

"But they are not going to let us go. You saw them." Justin replied with a sigh.

"But what if they're right? This whole situation is new to us, but they know what they're doing." Sara added.

"Yeah, they probably have a good reason for us to stay back. It could be dangerous." Mel agreed.

Lily spoke up, "Well, we can't just sit here in the dark. We need to either get answers, or make sure they stay safe."

"Maybe we could sneak after them?" Jax questioned.

"But," Spencer said hesitantly. "Would that really be a good idea? I agree with Sara, they must know what they're doing, and if they want us to stay back, we should listen."

They all thought about this for a second, until Libby spoke up.

"I think you're right, I really do. But I can't just sit here and not do anything while or parents risking their lives!" she cried. "I just can't! I need to do something. I say we follow them, but not engage. Just watch to make sure they're alright."

They mulled over the thought for a little bit before nodding. This way, the could make sure everyone was okay and not get in trouble.

"Okay great. So once they leave, let's give them five minutes so we aren't suspected and then we can follow them. Sound good?"

Everyone voiced their assent and headed to the parents to "see them off."

_~Meet Max the Time Skip ʕ•́ᴥ•̀ʔ~_

"Okay, remember the plan. After we leave, you guys will go back to the bedroom, lock the door and barricade it. Keep something with you to defend yourselves with. Don't open the door for _anyone else except one of us._ Do you understand?" Lloyd ordered. The kids nodded meekly, trying not to let their real plan show. 

With that, all the adults left. The kids turned back, pretending to head back to the bedroom. After five minutes, they crept off of the Bounty and headed towards the caves.

"Are we sure this was a good idea?" Sara questioned as they crouched behind some rocks near the mouth of the cave.

"It's too late to go back now," Jax whispered back as he peeked out behind his rock.

"You mean too late to go back to the ship we _specifically_ told you not to step off of?" A voice said from behind them. The kids winced and slowly turned around to meet the faces of their parent.

"Heeeey..." they said with a sheepish chuckle.

"What are you doing out here? We told you to stay back so you can stay out of danger, and you choose to ignore us? Are you _trying_ to get gruesomely murdered?!" Cole yelled.

"We didn't know gruesome murder was involved," Melina added quietly, her voice trembling.

"Guys, come on!" Skylor said in a disappointed voice. "We kept you out of this for a reason. We keep all of this hidden for _years_ for a _reason_. We're trying to protect you! Why ca-"

"Stop!" Lily interrupted. "Stop with the secrets and the yelling and just _listen_ to what we want to say! I wish you would just _listen_!" Everyone gasped and paled as she finished speaking.

She realized her mistake too late.

"Your wish is yours to keep."


	12. Chapter 12 | Revenge

The one thought that went through Lily's mind after her massive screw-up?

_Oh, shoot._

The djinn in front of them cackled loudly. "Thank you, child. You have made my job so much easier."

He pointed lazily at the adults, who suddenly found their mouths covered with a metal clamp. Lily watched the situation unfold in horror as they tried and failed to pull the gags off.

Lily shrunk back towards her parents. "You're a monster," she whispered, trying to seem braver than she was.

"And who do you think made me that?" he shrieked in anger. "It was your parents who destroyed my home realm when they fought the Preeminent!" she flinched and pulled back as her parents wrapped her and Spencer in their arms, shielding them to the best of their ability.

"The Preeminent was trying to destroy Ninjago!" Libby yelled back. "They were trying to protect our home!"

"And I tried to avenge mine, yet you-" Nadakhan pointed to Jay with a pointed glare. "-kept me from doing so. And so now I am here to destroy you. Step down now, and your children just might be spared," he threatened, watching each of them closely. After being met with silence, he shrugged and kept talking. "Now just wait here until I come back with the Rings." He started to walk (float?) away, but then turned and faced them again and snapped his fingers. Immediately, metal shackles covered the elementals' wrists, binding them together, connected to a chain attached to the ground.

"Vengestone," the djinn explained. "Just a precaution. And as for the children-" he drawled as he eyed them lazily. "-you look smart enough to stay away." And with that, Nadakhan left them and headed into the cave.

The minute he was out of sight, the children rushed to their parents and started yanking on the chains, but it was in vain. The vengestone wouldn't budge.

"Don't worry, we'll get you out of there," Lily grunted as she pulled harder, but was interrupted by loud noises. She, along with the others, looked up to see their parents gesturing towards Zane, who was making shapes with his hands.

Of course! she thought with a relieved laugh. Sign language!

Their parents had taught them sign language when they were younger, which was super cool because they always used it when pretending to be spies or chatting during class.

You must get the Rings, Zane signed. You cannot let Nadakhan get them. They are our only hope of defeating him.

"But we can't leave you here!" Sara cried, torn between the two options.

Zane's right, you need to get them, Lloyd urged. Don't worry about us, Misako and Wu must have noticed that you're not on the ship and are probably on their way now.

Lily glanced at her friends and realized that they all reached the same conclusion. They had to go.

"Alright, we'll go." Justin voiced with a terse nod. "But we're coming back for you."

Stay safe! Nya signed worriedly as they moved to leave.

And don't do anything stupid!! Jay replied quickly, gaining a nervous chuckle from Lily.

"We'll try our best," she promised as they ran out towards the cave.

_~Max makes a reappearance ʕ•́ᴥ•̀ʔ~_

Lily, Spencer, Justin, Jax, Mel, Sara, and Libby all slowly crept their way towards the large cave, sneaking behind boulders to avoid being seen. Once they approached it, they peeked in quickly to see Nadakhan battling... a flying cat with laser eyes? (@iMayBeObsessed Thanks XD) Behind them, you could see the Rings floating above a stone pedestal, emitting a faint glow. The kids quickly ducked back behind the wall, a laser just missing their faces.

Jax let out a discouraged sigh. "So we have to fight a revenge crazed carrot and a laser cat?"

"That flies," Mel added.

"And it flies!"

"Hey, guys?" Sara interrupted, deep in thought. "Did you notice that there was a skylight right above the pedestal?"

"Wait, really?" Lily asked and without waiting for an answer, stuck her head out from behind the wall. Sara was right- there was a skylight right above the Rings, providing a natural spotlight. Wow, 10/10 on creepiness.

"She's right, there's an opening right above the Rings, and it looks unguarded," Lily relayed over to the others as she tore her eyes away from the very weird fight happening in the cave. Apparently an eight-legged saucepan joined?

Libby scrunched her face in concentration. "So maybe if we climbed up towards the skylight, we could sneak in and grab the rings without a fight!"

"There's only one problem- these walls are covered with vines," Spencer pointed out as he yanked on said vines. "That will either make climbing easier or create a bigger problem if we get tangled."

"It's either that or fighting a flying laser cat and a walking pan. I'm in." Lily decided, and five other voices agreed.

"Let's just hope it goes well," Justin sighed.

_~Max says hi ʕ•́ᴥ•̀ʔ ~_

"This is not going well! This is not going well at all!!" Justin screamed as he dangled upside-down, his foot caught in the vines.

"Stop yelling, stupid! Are you trying to get us caught?" Jax hissed as he tried to untangle his brother's foot from the creeper. Libby climbed down towards them and joined Jax in yanking at the vines.

"Grab onto my hands!" Libby whisper-called to Justin, who reached up and grasped her outstretched arms.

"Hold on!" Jax warned, then pulled hard on the plant, finally snapping it. Justin soon found his footing again, and after a lot more falling, yelling, and chaos, they all found themselves at the top of the cave.

"Let's... let's never do that again," Lily wheezed, leaning on her knees. _Boy, am I out of shape!_

"Agreed," Spencer gasped back.

After they all managed to catch their breath, they slowly approached the skylight.

Mel leaned over the hole, trying to get a better view. "How will we get down there?"

Sara's eyes flashed as she ran some calculations. "We are too high up to jump down. Our best option would be to lower someone down to grab the Rings, and pull them before Nadakhan notices."

"We can use the vines as rope," Spencer offered. "It's strong enough to do the job."

"Are we sure it's a good idea though?" Justin wondered aloud as he thought it over. "I mean, is it safe?"

"Probably not," Libby admitted. "But what choice to we have?"

They sat in silence for a minute, but then Jax spoke up.

"Now the question is, who's going to go in?"


End file.
